Various post-industrial artworks transformed from scrap steel, boilers and locomotives are amazing. The "snail apartment" made of scrap cement pipes and other materials attracts tourists' attention. Recently, a reporter from Shanxi Evening News visited the "Snail Apartment" on the spot and found that the Dongshan Bodhi Art District in the east of Yungang Grottoes scenic area attracted a large number of tourists to participate in the experience, and students from art schools also came to sketch, which was called the "most beautiful sketching base".
Shanxi Evening News reporter saw in the Yungang Grottoes Scenic Area that many tourists who had watched Yungang Big Buddha would follow the signpost to find Dongshan Bodhi Art District to take photos as a souvenir. Dongshan Bodhi Art Zone covers an area of about 600 acres. The gate is made of two vertical waste boilers. There is an umbrella-shaped top on the boiler, and a circle of Buddha niche is welded in the middle. Inside the niche is a statue of Yungang Buddha made of brass. Walking into this unique door, the artistic atmosphere comes to mind: the Yongning iron tower made of scrap angle steel and other materials, the general tower of Zhenbei, various armored warriors, various cartoon characters, vertical apartments transformed with boilers, and motorcycle apartments transformed with scrap motorcycles...
The most amazing thing is a row of green and environmentally friendly building "snail apartments" made of scrap cement pipes and other materials. The apartment was renovated at the end of 2018 and this year hosts thousands of art college students and tourists from all over the country. From a distance, in front of the "Snail Apartment" is a group of uniquely shaped Buddha lighthouses, circular glass windows, exterior walls built with thick abandoned cement blocks, and solar panel ceilings.
Walking into the "Snail Apartment", you will see a spacious and bright living room. There are bedrooms on both sides of the hall. There are two beds in the bedroom. You can see the scenery outside when you sit in the bedroom. There are 28 rooms in the apartment, with the white doors in a round shape, and the room names are named after artists, such as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael , Kandinsky, Richtenstein, etc. The washbasin and the bathroom are shared. The washbasin is made of two giant wheels welded by various metal pipes, metal rims, etc. that were eliminated from the mine. The shape of the wheels is like the wheels of ancient ox carts, which is very artistic. The underground public part of
"Snail Apartment" is also equipped with movie screening rooms, billiards rooms, bars, cafes and other public leisure and entertainment facilities. The walls of the corridor can be used by artists or art school students to doodle at will. This particularly casual and artistic space provides high-quality and comfortable accommodation, creation and entertainment space for people who go to the Yungang Grottoes Scenic Area to sketch, create, and enjoy. Although it is winter now, it doesn’t feel cold in "Snail Apartment". The apartment uses floor heating, and the heating is provided by the solar power supply system outside.
Relevant person in charge of Yungang Grottoes Research Institute said: When the Northern Wei Dynasty was excavated by Yungang Grottoes, the mountains were cut into walls and stones were taken into caves. The waste stones of the excavated project were used to build river dams in front of the grottoes and pagoda temples on the top of the mountain. While adhering to the traditional concepts of ancestors, the people of Yungang introduced the environmental protection concepts of low-carbon energy conservation, utilization of old things, and turning waste into treasure, allowing various landscapes to coexist harmoniously with the millennium grottoes. With the transformation of Datong's resource-based economy, many small coal mines have been closed, leaving behind a large number of production equipment. How to reuse these equipment, how to reflect the elements of modern industrial civilization in the Yungang scenic area, and allow idle resources to be reused, Yungang Grottoes Research Institute has explored a feasible path in recent years. The basic materials of Dongshan Bodhi Art Zone come from iron ore cars, old air ducts, winch wheels, large iron cans, etc. eliminated by coal mine power plants. These things are created according to the terrain and terrain, and according to the shape, so that modern industrial civilization and ancient Buddhist civilization can coexist in harmony. Then, cultural and creative artists from all over the world and teachers and students from art colleges are invited to effectively utilize this artistic space and create works full of literary and artistic atmosphere, making this area a real Yungang Art District and Cultural and Creative Zone.
Shanxi Evening News reporter Liu Junqing Correspondent Cui Liying
